JP7252715B2 - interdental cleaner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an interdental cleaning tool.

Conventionally, an interdental cleaning tool for cleaning between teeth is known. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an interdental cleaner that includes a base portion made of synthetic resin and a soft portion made of elastomer. The base portion has a core base portion that can be inserted between teeth and a handle base portion that has a shape that can be gripped with fingers. The soft portion has a covering portion that covers a part of the outer peripheral surface of the core base portion, and a plurality of protrusions that protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the covering portion.

WO2013/176297

The user's ability to easily insert the interdental cleaner between teeth and the high cleaning performance of the interdental cleaner result in conflicting requirements for the thickness of the core base portion. That is, while a thin core base portion is preferable for easy insertion, the core base portion is thickened for high cleaning ability and the soft portion covering the core base portion is the oral tissue (i.e., , teeth and gums). Therefore, it is difficult under the prior art to achieve both easy insertion and high cleanability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an interdental cleaner that can be easily inserted between the teeth by a user and that exhibits a high ability to clean between the teeth.

An interdental cleaning tool according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a base portion including a shaft portion having a shape that can be inserted between teeth; a tip side main body covering a tip side portion of the shaft portion; A distal side cleaning portion having a plurality of distal side brushes projecting outward from an outer peripheral surface of a main body, a proximal side body covering the shaft portion on the proximal side of the distal side body, and the proximal side body. a proximal side cleaning portion having a plurality of proximal side brushes projecting outward from the outer peripheral surface of the . The distal body and the plurality of distal brushes are formed of a molding material having a lower hardness than the molding material forming the proximal body and the plurality of proximal brushes. The distal side main body and the proximal side main body are formed with a predetermined gap in the axial direction.

According to the above configuration, the tip-side cleaning part has a lower hardness than the proximal-side cleaning part, so that when the tip-side cleaning part is inserted between the teeth, the tip-side brush of the tip-side cleaning part It bends easily and does not create excessive drag on insertion of the distal cleaner between teeth. Therefore, the user can easily insert the tip side cleaning part between teeth. On the other hand, since the proximal side cleaning part has a higher hardness than the distal side cleaning part, the proximal side brush of the proximal side cleaning part strongly hits the oral tissues (i.e., teeth and gums) forming interdental spaces. , can effectively remove stains attached to oral tissues.

With respect to the above configuration, the distal side cleaning portion may be different in hue from the proximal side cleaning portion.

With respect to the above configuration, since the distal side cleaning portion is different in hue from the proximal side cleaning portion, the user can visually recognize the difference in physical properties therebetween. In addition, the outer surface of the interdental cleaner can be painted in multiple hues so that the interdental cleaner can have excellent aesthetics.

With respect to the above configurations, the proximal cleaning portion may be formed from a composite material including an elastomer and a reinforcing material.

According to the above configuration, the proximal cleaning portion is made of a composite material containing an elastomer and a reinforcing material, so that the proximal brush of the proximal cleaning portion is less than that of a conventional cleaning portion made only of an elastomer. The rigidity of the teeth is increased, and the spaces between the teeth are effectively cleaned.

The above-described interdental cleaning tool can be easily inserted between the teeth by the user and can exhibit a high cleaning ability for the interdental spaces.

1 is a schematic front view of an exemplary interdental cleaner; FIG.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an exemplary interdental cleaner 1. FIG. An interdental cleaning tool 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is labeled "proximal" and "distal". The term "proximal side" means the side closer to the user's fingers when the interdental cleaner 1 is gripped by the user. The term "distal" means the side opposite to the proximal side. The structure of the interdental cleaning tool 1 will be explained based on these words. These terms shown in FIG. 1 are for clarity of explanation only and should not be construed as limiting.

The interdental cleaning tool 1 includes a base portion 10 formed to be held by the user's fingers on the proximal end side and a base portion 10 formed to be inserted between the teeth by the user on the distal end side. and a cleaning portion 40 that covers the tip portion of the. The base portion 10 is a portion that gives the interdental cleaning tool 1 an appropriate degree of hardness so that the interdental cleaning tool 1 is not bent unnecessarily when it is inserted between the teeth. The cleaning part 40 covering the tip part of the base part 10 is made of a material having a lower hardness than the base part 10, and is a part that prevents the hard base part 10 from directly contacting oral tissues (i.e., teeth and gums). . The cleaning part 40 is formed so as to come into direct contact with the oral tissue and scrape off dirt adhering to the oral tissue. Since the tip portion of the base portion 10 covered with the cleaning portion 40 has appropriate hardness as described above, unnecessary bending of the cleaning portion 40 is prevented when the interdental cleaning tool 1 is inserted between the teeth. It functions as a core material for

The base 10 is made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, ABS, polybutylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene or polyacetal. For this embodiment, the base 10 is made of polypropylene.

To explain the shape of the base 10, FIG. 1 shows a central axis CL extending from the proximal side to the distal side (or vice versa) and an orthogonal axis IA orthogonal to the central axis CL. The extending direction of the central axis CL is referred to as "axial direction" in the following description.

The base 10 includes a gripping portion 30 arranged on the proximal side, and a rod-shaped shaft portion 20 extending from the gripping portion 30 along the central axis CL toward the distal side. The gripping portion 30 has a large dimension in the extending direction of the orthogonal axis IA and a small dimension in the extending direction of a virtual axis (not shown) orthogonal to both the orthogonal axis IA and the central axis CL. It is a thin plate-like portion and is gripped by the user's fingers. The shaft portion 20 extending from the grasping portion 30 toward the distal end along the central axis CL is a rod-shaped portion having a thickness that allows it to be inserted between teeth. The shaft portion 20 is longer than the grip portion 30 in the axial direction. The end portion of the shaft portion 20 connected to the grip portion 30 is referred to as the "base end portion 28a" in the following description. The end of shaft 20 opposite base end 28a is referred to as "insertion end 22a" in the following description. The shaft portion 20 tapers gradually from the base end portion 28a toward the insertion end portion 22a.

The shaft portion 20 is covered with a cleaning portion 40 over a predetermined section from the insertion end portion 22a toward the proximal end. A section covered by the cleaning unit 40 is referred to as a "covered section 22" in the following description. Sections of the shaft portion 20 other than the “covered section 22 ” are exposed sections 28 that are not covered by the cleaning section 40 . For this embodiment, the covered section 22 is approximately equal in axial length to the exposed section 28 .

The cleaning portion 40 covering the shaft portion 20 in the covering section 22 includes a distal side cleaning portion 40a covering the shaft portion 20 over a predetermined section from the insertion end portion 22a of the shaft portion 20 toward the proximal side, and a distal side cleaning portion 40a. and a proximal side cleaning portion 40b covering the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 20 on the proximal side of 40a. The length ratio of the distal body 40a and the proximal cleaning portion 40b is preferably 1:0.2 to 1:3. If the distal body 40a is longer than the proximal body 40b, the length that the interdental cleaning tool 1 can reciprocate between teeth without being subjected to a large drag force is increased. On the other hand, if the proximal side body 40b is longer than the distal side body 40a, the length that can effectively remove dirt between the teeth will be longer. For this embodiment, the distal cleaning portion 40a and the proximal cleaning portion 40b substantially bisect the coated section 22 in the axial direction.

Both the distal cleaning portion 40a and the proximal cleaning portion 40b may be molded from elastomeric materials such as styrenic elastomers, silicones, olefinic elastomers, polyester elastomers, or elastomer materials with a small amount of reinforcement such as glass fiber or talc. It may also be molded from a composite material containing a material. The content of the reinforcing material in the composite material is preferably 3 wt % or more and 50 wt % or less, more preferably 5 wt % or more and 35 wt % or less. However, distal cleaning portion 40a and proximal cleaning portion 40b are molded from molding materials (ie, elastomeric or composite materials) that differ in hardness.

The distal cleaning portion 40a is made of a molding material having a hardness lower than that of the proximal cleaning portion 40b. The hardness ratio (=hardness of the distal cleaning portion 40a/hardness of the proximal cleaning portion 40b) of the molding material molded into the distal cleaning portion 40a and the proximal cleaning portion 40b is 0.9 to 0.3. is preferred, 0.8 to 0.5 is more preferred, and 0.7 to 0.6 is particularly preferred. The tip-side cleaning portion 40a is preferably molded from a molding material with a Shore hardness of A1 to A50, more preferably from a molding material with a Shore hardness of A10 to A45, and more preferably from a molding material with a Shore hardness of A15 to A40. is particularly preferred. The proximal cleaning portion 40b is preferably molded from a molding material with a Shore hardness of A2 to A90, more preferably from a molding material with a Shore hardness of A15 to A85, and more preferably from a molding material with a Shore hardness of A20 to A80. is particularly preferred. The Shore hardness of each of the distal cleaning portion 40a and the proximal cleaning portion 40b may be adjusted by changing the type of elastomer, or by changing the blending amount and/or type of reinforcing material. good. For example, the elastomer material used to mold the proximal cleaning portion 40b contains more reinforcing material than the elastomer material used to mold the distal cleaning portion 40a. may obtain a hardness higher than that of the distal cleaning portion 40a.

The distal cleaning portion 40a and the proximal cleaning portion 40b may differ not only in hardness but also in hue. The hues of the distal side cleaning portion 40a and the proximal side cleaning portion 40b may be determined from the viewpoint of the aesthetic appearance of the interdental cleaning tool 1 . For example, the distal cleaning portion 40a may be molded from a pink molding material while the proximal cleaning portion 40b may be molded from a green molding material.

The tip-side cleaning part 40a covers the tip-side part of the shaft part 20 (that is, the part of the shaft part 20 extending from the insertion end part 22a over a section that is approximately half the length of the covering section 22). and a plurality of tip-side brushes 48a projecting outward from the outer peripheral surface of the tip-side main body 42a. The distal body 42a is a portion that prevents direct contact between oral tissue and the hard shaft 20. As shown in FIG. Each of the plurality of tip-side brushes 48a projecting outward from the outer peripheral surface of the tip-side main body 42a is elastically deformed while the tip-side portion of the shaft portion 20 is passing between the teeth, and the tip-side portion has passed between the teeth. After restore. As a result, each of these tip-side brushes 48a can scrape off dirt adhering to oral tissue. The length of each of the plurality of distal end side brushes 48a is set so that the distal end side brushes 48a disposed closer to the proximal end have a greater amount of protrusion from the distal end side main body 42b.

The proximal side cleaning portion 40b is arranged on the proximal side of the distal side main body 42a from which the plurality of distal side brushes 48a protrude. The proximal side cleaning portion 40b includes a proximal side body 42b covering the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 20 on the proximal side of the distal side body 42a, and a plurality of hair-like bases projecting outward from the proximal side body 42b. and an end brush 48b. Proximal body 42b forms a covering layer (elastomer or composite layer) axially continuous with a layer (elastomer or composite layer) of distal body 42a and covers the rest of covering section 22. Prevents direct contact between the oral tissue and the rigid shaft 20 in the length section. Each of the plurality of proximal side brushes 48b protruding outward from the proximal side main body 42b is elastically deformed and restored in the same manner as the above-described distal side brush 48a when the proximal side main body 42b is inserted between the teeth, and the oral tissue. You can scrape off the dirt attached to it. The length of each of the plurality of proximal side brushes 48b is set such that, similarly to the plurality of distal side brushes 48a, the proximal side brushes 48b disposed closer to the proximal side have a greater amount of protrusion from the proximal side main body 42b. It is The proximal end brush 48b arranged on the most distal side is longer than the distal end side brush 48a arranged on the most proximal side. Therefore, the amount of protrusion of the entire brush portion including the proximal side brush 48b and the distal side brush 48a decreases from the proximal side toward the distal side.

Since the plurality of proximal side brushes 48b are molded from a molding material having a hardness higher than that of the plurality of distal side brushes 48a as described above, they are more resistant to elastic deformation than the plurality of distal side brushes 48a. Therefore, each of the plurality of proximal side brushes 48b contacts oral cavity tissue with a higher contact force than the plurality of distal side brushes 48a. As a result, the plurality of base end side brushes 48b can more effectively scrape dirt attached to the oral tissue than the plurality of distal end side brushes 48a.

Although the plurality of distal side brushes 48a are inferior to the plurality of proximal side brushes 48b in the ability to scrape dirt, they contribute to easy insertion of the interdental cleaning tool 1 between teeth. The restoring force generated when the plurality of tip-side brushes 48a contact the oral cavity tissue and elastically deform acts as a resistance against the movement of the interdental cleaning tool 1 inserted between the teeth. Since the plurality of distal side brushes 48a are molded from a molding material having a hardness lower than that of the plurality of proximal side brushes 48b, the restoring force associated with elastic deformation of the plurality of distal side brushes 48a is relatively small. In other words, the user who is trying to insert the portion where the plurality of tip side brushes 48a are formed between the teeth can insert the interdental cleaning tool 1 between the teeth without feeling almost any drag acting on the interdental cleaning tool 1. can be done.

The molding material used for molding the plurality of distal side brushes 48a differs from the molding material used for molding the plurality of proximal side brushes 48b not only in hardness but also in hue. The difference in physical properties (difference in hardness and difference in resistance caused by the difference in hardness) between the plurality of base end brushes 48b can be visually recognized. That is, the difference in hue not only improves the aesthetic appearance of the interdental cleaner 1, but also enhances the excellent functions of the interdental cleaner 1 (i.e., the function of enabling easy insertion and effectively scraping oral tissue). functions) will also improve their appeal.

With respect to the embodiments described above, the hue of the distal body 42a and the plurality of distal brushes 48a is different than the hue of the proximal body 42b and the plurality of proximal brushes 48b. However, these hues may be the same.

With respect to the embodiments described above, distal body 42a and proximal body 42b form an axially continuous layer of molding material. However, the distal side body and the proximal side body may be formed with a predetermined spacing in the axial direction.

With respect to the above-described embodiments, the distal body 42a and the proximal body 42b cover the shaft 20 in a portion of the axially extending section (ie, the covering section 22). However, the distal body and the proximal body may cover the entire length of the shaft.

For the embodiments described above, the axial length of distal body 42a is approximately equal to the axial length of proximal body 42b. However, the lengths of the distal and proximal bodies may be determined such that the axial lengths of the distal and proximal bodies take other ratios.

Regarding the above-described embodiment, the gripping portion 30 connected to the shaft portion 20 covered by the proximal side body 42b and the distal side body 42a is formed in a thin plate shape. However, the grip may have other shapes that can be gripped by the fingers of the user.

With respect to the above-described embodiments, the cleaning portion that assists in cleaning between the teeth is divided into two portions that differ in hardness (ie, the distal cleaning portion 40a and the proximal cleaning portion 40b). However, the cleaning section may be divided into more than two sections with different degrees of hardness.

The principles of the above-described embodiments are preferably used in the oral hygiene field.

1 ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ interdental cleaning tool 10 ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ base 20 ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ Shaft portion 40a ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ Tip side cleaning portion 40b・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Base end side cleaning part 42a・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ Distal end side main body 42b・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Base end side body 48a・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ Tip end side brush 48b・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Base end brush

Claims (3)

a base including a shaft having a shape that can be inserted between the teeth;
a tip-side cleaning part having a tip-side main body covering a tip-side portion of the shaft and a plurality of tip-side brushes projecting outward from an outer peripheral surface of the tip-side main body;
a proximal side cleaning section having a proximal side body covering the shaft portion on the proximal side of the distal side body and a plurality of proximal side brushes protruding outward from an outer peripheral surface of the proximal side body; , and
The distal side main body and the plurality of distal side brushes are formed of a molding material having a lower hardness than the molding material forming the proximal side main body and the plurality of proximal side brushes,
The distal side main body and the proximal side main body are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the axial direction . The interdental cleaning tool according to claim 1, wherein the distal side cleaning portion is different in hue from the proximal side cleaning portion. 3. An interdental cleaning tool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the proximal cleaning portion is formed from a composite material including an elastomer and a reinforcing material.

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